Canadian authorities arrest man accused of scamming Seal Beach woman

A photo of Montreal resident Daniel Marcotte, 29, who is suspected of scamming an elderly Seal Beach woman out of $30,000 COURTESY SEAL BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT

By ASHER KLEIN

SEAL BEACH – A manhunt that began with a faked call from Mexico ended in Canada last week.

Daniel Marcotte, 29, was arrested by Canadian authorities on Sept. 11 in a suburb of Montreal on suspicion of scamming a Seal Beach woman out of $30,000 in February by saying her grandson needed money to get out of a Mexican jail, Seal Beach police said.

Seal Beach police Detective Mariana Martinez didn’t have more details, though an article in the West Island Gazette said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police made the arrest. A spokesman from the RCMP was unavailable for comment.

Police had been searching for a man matching Marcotte’s description since May, when the Seal Beach Police Department released an image of a man picking up a package in New York believed to contain money sent by the 86-year-old widow.

Martinez credited the public for helping identify Marcotte after images were released.

“This probably would’ve taken longer to solve, but with the assistance of the media and Montreal citizens, we were able to locate the suspect,” Martinez said.

The Gazette reported that the Mounties arrested Marcotte at a motel after being tipped off by men who saw a man put on a wig after getting out of a van.

Marcotte, a Montreal resident, is in the process of being extradited to the U.S., Martinez said, which is why more details are not being released.

“The Seal Beach Police Department is waiting for extradition and therefore we can’t divulge any information at this point to protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation,” she said.

Along with Canadian authorities and the New York Police Department, Martinez said the department was investigating to see if Marcotte had committed other scams in the United States.

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